bats They are not blind. Let’s start with this base, because there is an opinion that they do not know how to see and therefore resort to echolocation. But this is not true. What happens is that they usually move at night, in complete darkness, and they need a double check that will allow them to move and hunt without encountering any obstacle. This is what echolocation is for. It’s not really your exclusive mechanism. Other animals such as dolphinsthey use it too. Even some people develop the ability to navigate through echo.
In the case of humans, the ability to echolocation usually develops in those who cannot see. Tests MRI of the brain They demonstrate that while they analyze the echo, some areas of their brain associated with vision are activated. This leads us to think that having lost this sense, the plasticity of the brain allows them to sharpen their hearing, but with applications similar to visual. So if bats can use echolocation without being blind, why can’t all humans do it?
Based on this assumption, a group of scientists from universities of Durham and New York conducted a study aimed at teaching echolocation to both blind and normally sighted people. Contrary to what was initially expected, all volunteers were able to learn and experience associated changes in their brains. It seems that echolocation is not just for the blind. This can be very useful for specific situations, such as when your flashlight runs out of battery in the middle of a dark night.
Localization development training
Recall that echolocation involves the production of sounds called clickswhose waves they are going back when colliding with objects and can give us an idea of the location of possible obstacles that we cannot see well. The training sessions in this study lasted about three hours a day, two days a week. First, the volunteers had to learn to make a clicking sound with their mouth. Then they were taught to navigate in space. virtual environment with simulated clicks. They then moved to a real stage, one indoors and one outdoors, but still with the clicks recorded. And finally, they learned to do the same with the clicks themselves.
Each participant underwent an MRI to analyze brain activity before and after training. Thus, it was seen that once they learned to navigate using echolocation, activity increased significantly in both auditory and vision-related areas. And it wasn’t just about activity. increased gray matter in some of these regions, demonstrating that brain plasticity interfered with learning.
What should I do if I want to study?
So far, all this has been done only at the experimental level. However, in a study published in the journal Cerebral cortexthey conclude that anyone can learn echolocation with appropriate training.
Your next step will be to expand and distribute your training more widely. They are looking for methods to optimize learning and this can be achieved in a simple way. Then perhaps we can learn steps or even echolocation teachers will appear. The future will be interesting. For now, the only thing you can do is try it at home. Who knows? You may be able to do this without an instructor like the ones the study participants had.
Source: Hiper Textual
